Can we talk?

Leprechauns

         We have to discuss leprechauns if we're talking about Irish traditions. Actually, you don't hear so much about leprechauns these days. It's because of teachers! The teachers have hurt the wee folk feelings by telling the children they're only superstitions. So the leprechauns have run off to the mountain tops and remote regions to live, where they don't suffer the disdain of modern educators.

          A common misconception, especially by American advertisers, is that leprechauns wear green, and their hats are Derbies. Not so. The clothing varies from county to county. In some areas, they've been seen wearing red. The hats vary, from pilgrim style hats to tall pointy ones, or even beanies. Pants are short or long. There really isn't a dress code, but one band or clan tend to dress similarly to each other.

         Personalities also differ greatly; they are not all of one temperament. Some are quite lively and funny, some are practical jokers, some are kindly, while some are downright mean. And they're not all stingy. They have to work for their money like everyone else, and they don't want it stolen.

         How can you tell if they have been around? Well, they are a wee bit clumsy. If a spark flies out of the fireplace and burns a spot on the rug, it was probably a leprechaun trying to warm up that knocked it out into the room. Or if the milk gets spilled, or a plant is knocked over, it might have been the cat or it may have been a leprechaun. If your homework isn't in your notebook when you get to the schoolhouse, maybe the leprechaun played a trick on you and took it out. If uncle trips when he comes into the house after a night of drinking at the pub, it was probably a leprechaun that tripped him and woke the whole house.

         Some families try to appease the practical joker leprechauns by placing out cookies or biscuits for them at night. Other families are cheap and leave out table scraps, like for a pet, and this irritates them even more. Leprechauns have their dignity, you know.

         The late night tippler does seem to have more tales of leprechauns and banshees than one who retires early. Now that's a mystery.